In 2019, the Canadian government said that gay men had to abstain from sex for three months to be able to donate. Now, all restrictions have been removed. Over time, that policy changed to require men to abstain from sex for a certain period - even a number of years - to be able to donate. Health Canada called the step a "significant milestone" in a statement, adding that it builds on "progress in scientific evidence" in recent years.Ĭanada imposed a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood to others in the 1980s.
Trudeau said his government spent 5 million Canadian dollars (US $3.9 million €3.7 million) on research into the safety of blood donors and donation rules. He added that the removal of restrictions took too long but that research "simply wasn't done by previous governments." Right now in the U.S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or men who have sex with men) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex with another man in the past three months. Sexual contact between men outside of such relationships will lead to exclusion for four months. If an individual has been previously deferred from donating blood, that individual will need to call the Donor and Client Support Center at 1-86 to confirm eligibility before coming to donate. "This should have been done 10 years ago, 15 years ago," Trudeau said at a press conference. Since September 2021, gay and bisexual men are allowed to donate blood if they live in a permanent monogamous relationship. Men who have not had sex with another man in more than 3 months are not deferred by the MSM guidance and may be eligible to donate blood. One of the main reasons is that sexually active homosexual men are at high risk for. Prior to that time, active homosexuals were barred indefinitely from donating blood. The 12-month deferral rule has been the policy since December 2015.
Prime Minister Trudeau said it was "good news" but had taken too long. In the past, homosexual men (openly gay or more discreet) all were turned away from donating blood and plasma because of rules put in place during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Under the new rules, an active homosexual, sex worker, or IV drug user must defer for three months. Let's talk about sex-ed Canada hails 'good news'